Speech by Ariella Vishlizki (daughter of Hana Herzberg Pinas) at the unveiling of Stolpersteine in honour of the Anholt-Pinas families, July 20, 2018.
We, the descendants of the Pinas and Herzberg families stand here today, emotionally overwhelmed and grateful for this ceremony held in commemoration of our family members who perished in the Holocaust.
Standing here are five grand-children and four great–grandchildren of our grandfather Leon Luis Pinas who was brutally captured, sent to Westerbork and transferred to Auschwitz-Birkenau, from which he never returned.
The same cruel fate was imposed by the Nazis and their Dutch collaborators, to his daughter Eveline – Lineke - Pinas, his brothers-in-law Aduard and Levi Anholt, their wives, three little children of Eduard, and Geertruide Anholt. These inhuman actions were executed by the Nazis just because these innocent people were Jews.
Let me read a letter sent by our brave aunt Lineke from the Hell-On-Earth, called Auschwitz:
" 26 November 1942
My dear Aunt,
How are you? I hope that you are in good health.
I am also fine, only that I very much long for you.
Yesterday was Hans’ birthday, and I thought much about her.
Lily and Mimi went to Sia's sister, and I hope that they
are happy.
Also, Bep is there, and perhaps I too will soon join them.
It is very cold here. How is it at your place?
Greet cordially all the people I know. Do think a lot about me.
Every minute of the day I think about you and I pray to God
that I shall see you very soon. I have already very good new
friends here, we strengthen and console each other.
Coba Z. is the only one still with me here………
Lots of love and kisses,
Lineke "
In the letter, she tried to imply that terrible events occurred.
Sia's sister had died in her youth, before the war, so by saying that Lily, Mimi and Bep had gone to her, she was actually reporting that they had already died. She hints that she too will probably die soon. Lineke reports that only Coba was still with her, from all the many people who were with her in the transport.
On this occasion, we would like to mention also the Holocaust-survivors of our family. Above all, our Oma, the wise and brave grandmother Neomi Nani Pinas, who, following the capture of her beloved relatives, realized how chaotic and dangerous their condition was and managed to find a hidden shelter for her son Yehuda-Luki and daughter Hana, her parents, sister and for herself.
This rescue act was possible, thanks to the help of the Dutch Underground-Organization, and the few people who bravely opened their home and hid these refugees, despite the risk of death penalty.
We all cherish and honor their courage.
The Jewish Talmud says: "Anyone who saves a single person's life, is considered as if he saved an entire world".
We are representing here twenty-seven living offspring of Yehuda-Luki Pinas and Hana Herzberg Pinas. We actually owe our existence to those brave people who helped to rescue our family members. For their noble deeds we will forever be grateful.
We hope that these memorial stones will help to remind every human-being, day by day, of the horrific and satanic deeds, the Holocaust of the Jewish people, which were carried out by cultured people, ordinary people, human beings here in Holland, as in other European countries.
We hope that this daily memory, will aid to ensure, that man-made disasters would never-ever happen again.
We also wish to express our appreciation to the Zwolse-Stolpersteine-Foundation, for organizing this impressive commemoration of our family members who perished in the Holocaust.
Finally, let me share with you some citations of a diary, written by my deceased mother, Hana Herzberg Pinas, during her long and fearful stay in the hiding shelter. This diary was later published as a novel named "Drie Jaar Duurde De Nacht"
I am happy to invite Mila Groen, to read it for us, in Dutch, the language in which the book was written.
Thank you, Mila, and thank you all, for listening and remembering.